Hospitalized
by doctorwhoviansunite
Summary: We all know that if a two-hearted Timelord ended up in an earth hospital, it wouldn't be good. Well that's exactly what happens when the Doctor and Rose pop back down to earth for a visit. Takes place some time in the middle of season 2.
1. Chapter 1

"What did I tell you!? Barcelona. Magnificent place!"

Rose Tyler threw her head back in laughter alongside the Doctor as they were rocked back and forth against the impact of the TARDIS. "Dogs with no noses... they were a bit more amusing to the eye than I expected!" The Doctor chuckled in reply. When the pair had first set foot out of the ship onto the interesting planet of Barcelona, Rose was taken aback by it's beauty. Towers stretched higher than Rose thought was possible, despite the fact that it was the work of aliens that had created it. The grass beneath her feet had smelled oddly sweet, and the sky was bluer than she could imagine. As her beloved Doctor had promised, dogs with no noses scampered across the lands, making Rose nearly fall down from laughter at the sight. They had continued on to visit a couple ancient museums with some recognizable relics from earth, then later stopped at a restaurant and shared an order of exotic chips. On their way back to the TARDIS a small pack of about 4 odd-looking dogs had begun following them. Rose had at first thought they were just hungry until they had started snarling and nipping at the bottom of the Doctor's trench coat. The two of them had fled the rest of the way back to the TARDIS as the animals practically ate half of his clothing.

They now stood side by side back in the safety of the ship, as the Doctor decided between two new suits.

"So! Glad we finally were able to make that trip. Now, where we off to, Rose Tyler?"

"Doctor,"

"We could take a trip to Raxacoricofallapatorious! They've got an old abandoned side which is Slitheen free, and marvelous if I might add."

"Doctor," Rose tried to cut in

"Or we could try Justacia. Designated prison planet. Beautiful, but will need to stay hidden unless you want to end up in a bloody borstal. Or maybe-"

"Doctor!"

"Huh?" he looked up from his work on the console. "Oh sorry, yeah?"

"I think it's about time to visit my mum. Haven't seen her since Christmas. Wotcha think?"

The Doctor let out a reluctant but understanding sigh. "Alright then. But after that I've got to show you Justacia! You know they had a Slitheen attack recently. Might be worth checking out. Oh, and then-"

"DOCTOR!" Rose shouted and laughed out at the same time.

"Right, sorry. Well off we go then!" He pulled a couple levers, jammed a few buttons, and wacked his mallet around on the controls as the TARDIS spun into action. "Allons-y!"

* * *

Only minutes passed before they arrived in London, right in front of the Tyler's flat. Rose stepped outside, enjoying the London air, realizing she actually missed her home in a way. Of course, at the sound of the TARDIS engines whirring, Jackie Tyler literally dropped what she was doing and ran outside to greet her daughter.

"Mum!" Rose greeted her mother as she saw her running down the stairs. She flew into her arms.

"Oh, welcome home, sweetheart. Travels been going well yeah?"

Rose nodded as the Doctor appeared out of the TARDIS cautiously behind her. "Hey there Jackie" he held out his arms in surrender. "If your going to slap me, please get it over with will you?"

Jackie just laughed. "Oh, come here you idiot." The Doctor let out a small gasp in surprise as Rose's mum wrapped him in a tight hug. "So glad you two made it back in one piece! Why don't you come in for a cup of tea and you can tell me all about it, yeah?"

The traveling pair followed her up the stairs and into the house. Moments later they were sitting at the table with tea in front of them.

"Mum we finally made it to Barcelona!" Rose was telling her. "And the Doctor wasn't lying... can you believe it? Dogs with no noses. Oh, what a sight that was!" The three of them laughed.

The Doctor's mind wandered as Rose continued telling her mum about their adventures over the pass few months. He gazed out the window and saw his TARDIS below, wishing to be out adventuring rather than sitting here drinking tea. Nonetheless, he respected Rose's desires to come back home some time, and waited patiently as their conversation went on.

* * *

The Doctor rested his head on his hands as the conversation continued. He looked up at the kitchen clock. 2 hours since they had arrived, and he hadn't moved from his seat. Alas growing too restless for him to handle, he stood up, cracked his back, and made a quick trip to the restroom.

When he came back Rose was looking excited.

"Doctor, Mum was just telling me about the new park they opened up down town."

"Beautiful place," Jackie mused. "Went walkin' down there with Howard last weekend."

"Now listen," Rose started to say as she saw the Doctor rolling his eyes, "I know it's no Raxacoricwhatever, but I'd love to check it out before we set off again later. Nice break from all the adventurin' for once."

"Break from the adventuring? What kind of rubbish is that?" The Doctor joked. "Oh, very well. I suppose we could have a look." He winked at her and Rose couldn't resist a smile. They stood up and Rose hugged her mum on the way out.

"Be sure to stop by before you lot set off again you hear?" Jackie told them.

"Don't worry we will. Love you!" They walked out the front door and headed down the street.

* * *

"Can we go now?" The Doctor pleaded, imitating a 5 year old at the grocery store with his mum. He looked down at Rose with his big brown eyes.

"Shut up," she nudged him, sending him off balance a bit. He replied with a gentle push and they laughed, walking hand-in-hand. "We've been here 10 minutes. Just look around! Enjoy the view!" The trees were full of bright white flowers and the pathway was lined with freshly-cut green grass.

"We could be in Justacia! Boy, if you think this is a pretty sight, just you wait."

Rose chuckled, accepting the fact that a life without aliens and life-and-death situations simply wasn't a life for the Doctor. "Fine then. Let's grab a quick bite then we can head off you big baby." They walked in the direction of a concession stand. Rose was pulling out her wallet on the way over when she heard a voice behind them.

"Give me the wallet."

They spun around to see a young man, looking in his late teens or very early twenties, holding a handgun up to Rose. "I said, give me the wallet!" his voice was a harsh whisper.

"Now, just a minute their, lad." The Doctor took a brave step forward. "No way to treat a young lady! Now why don't you just scamper off. No need to cause any trouble eh?" Rose stood frozen while the Doctor walked aimlessly in front of her. She wondered if he knew the danger of the situation.

The man scoffed, assuming the Doctor was crazy. "Look, there doesn't have to be any trouble. Just give me the wallet before no one gets hurt, yeah? And make it quick before someone notices, or you may not get so lucky." Rose looked around, surprised that no one had noticed.

"You know, I really do hate guns." The Doctor rambled on. "Never quite understood 'em. Now before you do something you'll regret, just head on off alright?" he stepped back and took Rose's hand. Not to be comforting, but casually, as if he expected them to just be able to walk away.

"That's it," the man raised the gun and pointed it at Rose.

"No!" The Doctor jumped in front of Rose as the gun fired. He heard the loud shot and stood there, motionless. The world moved slowly around him, and he could hear someone calling his name. Next thing he knew he couldn't keep his eyes open, his knees gave in, and he was sucked into complete blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So Here's chapter 2! Please give me feed back. Even if its criticism. I want to know what I can to better to improve my stories :)**

"Doctor!" Tears streamed down Rose's face as she held her companion in her arms. He was unconscious yet gasping for air. Rose held her hand on his chest over where he had been shot, then lifted it up to see it drenched in blood. She thought over what to do. She was too far to take him home, and she couldn't take him to a hospital. People were gathering around, gasping in horror, but she ignored them.

"I've got to get you back to the TARDIS," she whispered. His breaths were getting slower and deeper. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the her home number. The busy signal ran out.

"Come on mum, get off the phone!" She dialed the number again and again but to no avail. Then she heard someone yelling at her.

"What's wrong with you! If there's any chance of him surviving you need to call an ambulance! Not your mum!" A man was standing a little ways away, eyes stretched wide in shock.

"Don't worry, I just did." She heard a female voice behind her.

"Wait, you did what?" Rose asked, dreading the worse.

"I called an ambulance you stupid girl! Do you want to just watch him die?" The woman paced as Rose's jaw dropped, and she stood up.

"What have you done?! He can't go to a hospital!"

"What do you mean?! A hospital is exactly what the poor man needs right now!"

"No he can't..." Rose gave up, knowing there was no way to explain. She sat back down beside the Doctor.

"It's going to be alright, ya hear me? You'd better not leave. Not now." Rose took it as a good sign that the familiar glow of regeneration was no where to be seen. She rested to fingers on his neck, feeling a slow and weak pulse. She cradled him in her arms and sobbed into his shoulder as she heard the siren of an ambulance approaching.

"No... Doctor I'm so sorry... I just don't know what to do now..." The ambulance parked and the medics brought a stretcher out and headed for her and the Doctor.

"Are you hurt?" one of them crouched next to her, looking her over to make sure she hadn't taken any affect from the bullet. Rose just shook her head and held the Doctor tight. She yelled in anguish as they pulled him away, not wanting to let him go, but watched helplessly as they loaded him into the back of the ambulance.

"Ma'am, we are permitted to take one acquaintance along. Come along. I think it's best you were with us anyways." A medic came up and said as he put an orange blanket around Rose's shoulders and guided her to the ambulance. She knew that the blanket was for the shock, and didn't protest. They shut the doors and began driving away.

Rose watched as two medics looked over the Doctor, while one was over by her checking her over.

"I told you I'm fine! Just, please do what you can to help him!" He ignored her and continued to take a good look at her pupils, check her pulse, and look for any signs of severe shock. After a while he stood up and Rose overheard him saying something to another medic.

"She's pretty shaken up. Better give her some time. I can't see how the poor bloke is going to survive this, and she isn't going to take that well."

Rose knew that wasn't true. She knew that he was stronger because of his second heart, and that he had a chance of surviving this. His main enemy was blood loss, and the people who were trying to help him. As soon as they found out he wasn't human, only God knows what they may do next.

Rose buried her face in her hands and let out an uncontrollable sob. She leaned forward and grabbed the Doctor's hand, which was dangling off the side of the stretcher. She rubbed it comfortingly, then leaned back as one of the medics swiped her hand away. They gently took off his jacket and shirt, and tossed his blood-stained tie on the ground right in front of her, which she picked up. They tended to the wound on his bare chest, passing supplies to one another. Rose held the tie close, holding onto it tight as if it were a lifeline connecting her to her friend. As she saw the men growing more frantic, she watched for the familiar glow of the regeneration light, but it didn't appear. She couldn't decide if that was good or bad, because of the worry that the injury was too severe for even his Time Lord system to heal. A million thoughts rushed through her mind all at once.

_I never had the chance to say I love you..._

_If you regenerate, it won't be the same. I'll have to get used to that new face all over again, and even though you'd be the same person, you won't be the same man. _

_When they find out your not human, will they still take care of you? Or consider you no longer important and just..._

She couldn't bare the thoughts any longer, and then she took a deep breath as she saw an astonished face on one of the medics.

"Sir, his heart's beating harder and faster than I've ever seen. It's practically going double time." he had a hand resting on the Doctor's chest, and another medic pulled out a stethoscope after hearing his colleague's words.

Rose watched in dismay as he listened to his hearts.

The Time Lord had been discovered.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! Just wanted to say thanks for all the follows and reviews. I'm going to be posting a new chapter at least once a day but it will probably be more. :)**

Rose stared at the unconscious Doctor, watching his chest slowly rise and fall with each breath. The paramedics expressions were a mixture of shock, confusion, and just utter amazement. "It's almost as if he has two hearts." One said, and the others laughed a bit at the lighthearted comment. "Suppose we won't know what's going on until we get him inside."

Just then, Rose felt the ambulance come to a stop. The back doors swung open, and the 3 men brought the gurney out of the vehicle, set it on the ground, and began rolling him away.

She followed alongside them, not taking her eyes off her beloved Doctor. She felt herself crying, but no tears came. She opened her mouth to speak comforting words, but nothing came out. She looked down at her shaking hands, accepting the fact that maybe she was in shock after all.

Rose had seen the unknown. Slitheen, noseless dogs, people with no faces, Daleks, Cybermen, and even the devil. After all that, she had been fine. But now facing the thought that her Doctor might not be coming home to his TARDIS hurt her more than she could handle.

The medics wheeled him through the emergency room doors, and laid him on top of the bed inside. Rose watched helplessly as they wired him up to all sorts of monitors. The same medic that the two heart suspicion began investigating on that, while nurses and doctors came in to prepare him for surgery.

The medic laid these white stickers with wires coming from them onto the Doctor's chest. As he got to work, Rose saw his expression growing more and more confused. He looked at the heart-rate monitor, and the results concluded one possibility. He had two hearts.

The man turned to Rose in astonishment. "Ma'am I apologize, but I think I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room. More intense surgery may be required than we thought."

Rose stood up. "Listen, so he's got two hearts alright!? You can't just dissect him or treat him differently just because he's not human. You have to help him! And I'm not leaving him!"

The man tilted his head. "What do you mean not human? London has had alien encounters before but this is absurd. He looks human...?"

"Yeah, well he's not. He's a Time Lord. But he's still a person. Please! You have to do what you can to help him! He still has human needs! Oh, and if he starts to kindof glow... you may want to stand back."

The medic shook his head in confusion and defeat. "Ma'am, I promise you he will be well looked after. But I'm going to have to take you to the waiting room. First though I'll need you to fill out some information for him that will help improve our chances of saving him."

Rose filled out a form he handed her asking for the usual. Name, age, bloodtype... Rose had to lie on some, and leave others blank because she didn't know them. She used his fake name, John Smith. Just then, she heard loud beeping and the doctors were growing more and more frantic. The beeping then went flat, and Rose knew exactly what that meant.

"No!" she shouted and rushed to his side, but the medic held her back. One of the doctors grabbed one of those things that restart the heart. He rubbed each side together and Rose could hear the electricity crackling. He pushed them down on the Doctor's chest, and the Doctor let out a huge gasp and sat upright, then let out a screech of pain. The medics laid him back down on the bed and he struggled slightly, unable to protest much. "Rose!" he called. Rose broke free of the man's grasp and ran to his side.

"Doctor," she whispered. "Doctor, look its me. I'm here." She smiled feeling so relieved to hear his voice once again.

"R-Rose!" He gasped, smiling slightly in relief. "Wha-w-whats going on?" he looked around at his surroundings.

"You were shot. Your in a hospital now.. there was nothing I could do to stop them, and the TARDIS was too far away. I'm sorry."

His eyes stretched wide and he put a hand down on his chest. "Do they-"

"Yes they know. And I don't know what's going to happen next... they keep trying to take me out of the room.." she sniffed.

"No... please don't leave- AAAH!" He double over at the pain in his chest and one of the doctors put a mask on him.

"Anesthetic." one of them explained. "You've got a minute or two before he goes back to sleep."

Rose shook her head and grasped the Doctor's hand. "Hey, it's going to be alright."

His eyes were glazed with pain and he was gasping for air. She held his hand tighter and he looked over at her. "Y-yeah." He laughed when he noticed the mask on his face. "Are you my mummy?" Rose couldn't resist bursting into laughter, and the Doctor chimed in with her, wincing at the pain involved. His breaths then became more steady, and his eyes closed as the anesthetic kicked in. Rose leaned in and whispered, "I love you," then backed away and sat down in a chair at the back of the room, giving the doctors their space. After hearing the Doctor's plea to see her just moments before, they no longer insisted on her leaving the room.

Rose turned her head as the surgery began. The gun had apparently had a low amount of power, otherwise the bullet would have exited his back. But it was still in there, and Rose willed for them to get it out, fix him up, and let them be on their way again.

_This is all my fault. _She thought to herself. If only she hadn't insisted on returning home, let alone going to that park. If something happened to him, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Her head pounded from crying so much, and she rested her head against the back of the chair, letting sleep consume her.

* * *

The Doctor's eyes shot open. He looked around, not remembering where he was. White walls surrounded him and all sorts of wires and stickers were attached to his body. He was laying in bed and his chest and shoulder were bandaged up. Suddenly, the passed events flashed back to him. He remembered being in the park with Rose, and the man who had shot him. Next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital with Rose at his side..wait...hospital! He struggled to sit up, and noticed the only other person in the room was Rose, who was sound asleep in a chair pulled up next to the bed. Her hand was holding his, and his sudden movement woke her. His companion blinked her eyes open, then a bright smile stretched across her face and she wrapped him in a gentle but meaningful hug. "Your awake! Oh my god your awake!" He hugged her back, holding her tight.

"Rose..." he felt her tears running down his back. "How long was I out?"

She pulled back and sniffed. "Four days.. Oh, Doctor I thought I'd lost you!" She buried her face in her hands and the Doctor rubbed her back comfortingly.

"What happened? I mean as far as-"

"I told them you were alien. I figured they'd accept that easier than a human having two hearts... and they did." she laughed a little. "Due to London's past Christmas incidents they believed me..but I don't know if they're going to let you go without at least running some tests first... I just don't know."

The Doctor grasped her hand. "It'll be alright," he laid back, groaning at the pain in his chest.

"Take it easy," Rose comforted him. "Your still badly hurt." At that moment, a nurse walked in, then smiled.

"Well there's out two-hearted alien friend! Glad to see your finally awake. You mind if we look you over a bit? Nothin' major, just make sure everything's going alright." he asked him. The Doctor didn't reply, just looked at Rose, who nodded, then he nodded at the nurse. Rose sat back in her chair, not letting go of his hand as the nurse changed the gauze on his wound, then pulled out his stethoscope.

"Oh, there it is," the nurse murmured as he listened to his two hearts. "Fascinating," he removed the stethoscope from his ears and placed it back around his neck. The Doctor felt himself beginning to worry at the outcome of his visit here. London had seen its fair share of aliens in the past, but now that they had one in their control, there was no telling what they might do. He closed his eyes trying to block out the thoughts as the nurse wrote down something on a clipboard at the base of his bed.

Rose rubbed the top of the Doctor's hand, waiting for the nurse to say something.

"Well then. We'll start getting you up and about this afternoon if your feelin' up to it."

"Then what?" Rose asked. "When will he be able to come back home?"

The nurse looked confused. "And where might 'home' be for him?"

She and the Doctor exchanged a glance. "Back with me." was all she said.

"Well I dunno about that. He's gonna need to stay him for a good while. Gotta run proper tests and such."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Tests?"

"Well yes of course. Entire new species in our grasp here. Can't let you go just yet." he winked and exited the room.


	4. Chapter 4

7 days had passed since the Doctor had been hospitalized, and they still hadn't let him go. Rose had tried everything she could think of, but there was nothing she could do to convince the doctors that they were ready to go. The Doctor was fine, other than a small cold he got somehow, but his wound had already been stitched and healed, and he no longer required bandages. He just laid there, all day everyday, while they ran various tests and refused to let him return home.

_Being a whole different species, we can not be as sure that he's healed and ready to go as we are with humans. We can't take any chances._ They kept saying, but Rose knew the truth. The Doctor was an alien, and now that they had him in their custody, they weren't intending on letting him go.

Rose and the Doctor now sat side by side in a lab at the hospital, where he sat shirtless wired to all sorts of machines and monitors. He sighed, and she grabbed his hand.

"When are they gonna let us go.. are human hospitals normally like this?"

"No. We both know why they're keeping you here, and I don't know exactly what to do.." Rose mumbled over the beeping and whirring of the machinery.

He sighed again. "You should go home. You've been sitting up here with me for a bloody week. I'm sure your mum could use the company." He coughed a bit.

"There's no way I'm leaving you here. They have to let you go sooner or later..." She tried to comfort him as she grasped his hand tighter. A nurse then walked up and attached something to the Doctor's chest. He looked at Rose, confused, and she shrugged in reply.

"Ahhhhhgh!" The Doctor screamed and grasped his chest as a shock of pain rippled through his body.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted. He laid back on the bed, gasping, slowly calming down as the pain left his body. "What the hell was that?!" Rose demanded. The nurse didn't reply, just looked at a computer, then wrote something down on a clipboard before muttering something to a man in a lab coat.

Rose stood up. "Listen! Why can't I just take him home? He's fine!" As if to prove her wrong, the Doctor began coughing atrociously behind her. "So he's got a little cold! I can take care of him!"

"Not a cold, side effect of the treatment." The nurse responded.

"What treatment?! Your just runnin' random tests. Scanning him. Doing what you can now that you've got an alien in your control. But you can't keep him here forever!"

"He is not fully healed," He spoke over the Doctor as he coughed some more. "As you can see, We must keep running tests until we find a cure for the side effect."

"So, your running tests, to find out how to stop this sickness, which was caused by you running tests..."

"Rose..." The Doctor mumbled. She ignored him.

"Ma'am, we know what we're doing. In good time you and your friend will be able to return home, but you must be patient."

"But your doing all this for no good reason! Your just trying to find out more about alien life."

"Rose..."

"Just a minute." she hushed him. "Can't you see that he's fine besides this 'side effect' which by the way-"

"Rose!" She spun around and saw the Doctor hyperventilating. He had a tight grip on the bed sheets as he gasped for air, and sweat dripped down his face.

"Doctor!" she rushed to his side and grabbed him, trying to stabilize him. His breaths grew faster and he looked dizzy. "Someone do something! Please!" they were all just standing around, watching, taking notes. Rose leaned him back and wiped his sweaty face, which was burning with fever. His eyes kept closing and bolting open again. "Doctor, you've got to calm down. Your gonna make yourself pass out." His eyes were glazed and his breathing didn't slow down.

"Please!" she begged again, but they all just stood around. She watched helplessly as his eyes fluttered shut, and he blacked out.

* * *

The Doctor opened his eyes, back tucked away in the hospital bed. Rose was pacing at the foot of his bed, yelling at a nurse.

_How long was I out this time? _He thought to himself.

When Rose noticed him awake she ran up to the bed and smiled, then turned back to the nurse and started yelling again. The Doctor's head pounded at every sound, so much that he couldn't even make out what she was saying.

"My head.." he lifted his hand up and ran his fingers through his hair. Rose looked at him sympathetically, now ignoring what the nurse was saying to her.

"Doctor... Doctor can you hear me?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper as she tried to bring her friend back to reality.

"Rose? How long was I out?" His head hurt with each word.

"Don't worry, just a few hours this time, but you still gave me a pretty big scare." she gave him a half smile before sitting down on the bed next to him. "How do you feel?"

"Like the sun is living inside me..." his whole body, inside and out, burned. It was a pain he'd never felt before, and it actually scared him. "I'm hot everywhere... Rose it hurts.." he gasped as the burning got worse. Rose felt his forehead to find that is was boiling to the touch. She called for a nurse and he came up for a change.

"Doctor, it's okay. Just try to stay calm." Rose tried to comfort him but he barely heard the words. The nurse took his temperature and the Doctor heard Rose gasp as she looked at the results. His vision was starting to get blurry and he reached out and grabbed Rose's hand, squeezing it tight. He shut his eyes, trying to control his breathing as the pain grew worse. Suddenly, he heard a few beeps and taps on a keyboard, and the pain disappeared.

"Sorry 'bout that," the nurse murmured as he looked intently on something on the computer. "Little radiation spike there. Shouldn't happen again."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Radiation spike?" he asked.

"Side affect of the treatment..." he waved a hand in his direction, dismissing the topic. Rose started yelling again, and the Doctor leaned his head back against the pillows, and closed his eyes, but he didn't sleep. He just needed a moment away from reality. Here he was, a 904 year old Time Lord, trapped inside a human hospital being practically used as a lab rat. He sighed, feeling defeated, then heard Rose's voice in his ear.

"That's it. I'm getting you out of here."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So, this would have been posted sooner but my laptop died while I was writing it and erased it all... I was too mad at first to rewrite it but I finally got around to it xD.**

Rose sat alone in the hospital cafeteria. She left the Doctor sleeping in his room, and hoped to get back before he woke up. _I've gotta get him out of here. _She thought. 8 days he had been stuck here, and they still wouldn't let him go. Rose picked at her food, concentrating on ideas to get him out. No point in demanding it to the staff...she tried... and they couldn't just sneak out. There were doctors and nurses around him 24/7. The tests were getting more intense. Yesterday one of the nurses had said that "radiation spikes" were a side effect of this "treatment". That scared her. She had had radiation poisoning before herself, and it was not a pleasant experience. Each day that they were here, the Doctor's condition seemed to be worsening. She had to get him back to the TARDIS before they did some serious damage. Deciding that she wasn't going to be able to eat, Rose dumped her tray of food in the trash can and took the lift up to the Doctor's room.

She entered his room to find his bed empty. She walked inside further and looked around, confused. Then she heard noise at the door and saw the Doctor walking in, seeming half asleep, being supported by a woman in a lab coat. As she guided him to his bed she eyed Rose nervously.

"Where did you take him?" Rose asked. The woman didn't reply, just got the Doctor into bed and hurried out of the room. "Well that was Ood." she chuckled, looking at the Doctor expecting to see him laugh, but he looked barely awake. Rose sat down on the bed beside him.

"Where did they take you?" she asked him. He opened his mouth to reply, then shut it furrowing his eyebrows. He shook his head in frustration.

"I...I don't remember.." he shook his head again. "Last thing I remember was you leaving to go get something to eat when I was about to sleep... everything after that is just all fuzzy.."

Rose tilted her head in confusion and rubbed his back in comfort, to find that his body was still warm to the touch. "Your hotter than you were when I left." She commented.

The Doctor winked with a smirk on his face. "Well thank you."

"Shut up. You know what I mean." she nudged him gently. "So you seriously can't remember anything?"

He nodded. "Its weird... and a bit scary to be honest. I have no memory of that past... what 30 minutes?" he looked up at the clock.

Rose just shrugged. "Something like that. I'm trying to figure out a way to get you out of here... and that's not easy. What I really need to do first is find out what they're doing... especially after finding out part of your memory is practically erased." she said it as a joke, but the Doctor's eyes lowered in worry.

"Look at me. Here I am, not physically held here, yet still trapped in a human hospital. We could be traveling the stars! Justacia! I'm telling you you'd love it! But no. I'm stuck here. I officially hate humans."

Rose eyed him.

"Well... no not you... I like you... not just like I mean... you know... I don't hate you." He said awkwardly.

Rose laughed and kissed his forehead. "I don't hate you too." she stood up. "I'm gonna go have a look around... see if I can figure out anything. Stay put." she winked.

"Like I have a choice." The Doctor watched Rose leave the room and laid his head back against the pillows. He was just about to doze off when he heard footsteps. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Rose, but instead saw the same nurse that Rose had been arguing with yesterday.

"Come along. Time for phase two." he said.

"Phase two of what?" the Doctor asked. "And when did we do phase one?"

The nurse looked away seeming nervous, as if he had said something he wasn't supposed to. He remained silent as he helped the Doctor out of bed. Too weak to protest, the Doctor waddled alongside him out the door. As they were walking down the hall he saw a flash of familiar blonde hair out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see Rose, hiding, watching them. She put her fingers on her lips, signalling for him to be quiet. He looked away so that he didn't draw attention to her and kept walking.

They came to a door which the nurse opened, leading to a large room full of men and women in lab coats and scrubs. At the end of the room a large glass see-through chamber caught his eye. The nurse sat him down on a chair by the wall.

"What is that thing?" The Doctor asked.

The nurse didn't reply but whispered to a woman tapping away at a computer. "Phase one was a success. He has no memory of this morning."

Assuming he wasn't supposed to hear that the Doctor kept quiet. He brought his eyes back to the doorway to see Rose peeking around the corner. He must have had a look of distress on his face because Rose glanced at him sympathetically, before hiding back behind the wall so that she would remain unseen.

A couple men were inside the chamber. The Doctor strained his eyes to get a closer look. He noticed a chair inside with wires coming out of it and... were those straps? His hearts suddenly began pounding as the nurse helped him out of the chair and started leading him towards the chamber. The Doctor stopped walking.

"There's no way in bloody hell that I'm going in there." He told them. The nurse tried to urge him on but the Doctor backed away with the little strength he had left. Then another man came up on his other side and started pushing him. "Get off of me!" he said, but they kept pushing him until they were in the chamber. The Doctor's struggles were practically useless as they sat him down in the chair. He tried to get up but they held him down as they strapped him in. Straps went across his legs, arms, waist, and his forehead. Feeling claustrophobic he shifted, trying to get free. He caught Rose's eye to see a look of anguish and helplessness. He didn't blame her. This was probably scary to watch.

"Let me go right now!" he yelled. The nurse came up and attached some stickers with wires trailing from them to his chest, stomach, and temples. "I said let me go!" he twisted, trying to break free, but to no avail. The nurse exited the chamber and shut the door. He and a couple other staff started typing on a computer, and one of them gave a thumbs up. Another man pulled a lever, and the Doctor heard a strange noise. The lights in the chamber slowly turned to an odd reddish color, the air felt weird, and the next thing the Doctor knew his body was filled with excruciating pain.

He stared at Rose desperately, and let out a scream.


	6. Chapter 6

Rose watched helplessly as she stood in the doorway, watching her best friend scream in pain. She felt a tear run down her cheek, knowing there was nothing she could do. There was practically an audience gathered, watching and writing things down as the Doctor was being tortured. Rose glanced at a computer screen to see various graphs and codes appearing. She saw what she recognized as radiation readings, and noticed some massive spikes. She figured that these were the readings for the inside of the chamber. A second screen showed his vital signs, which were way higher than they should be. Rose dared to take a step closer when one of the men turned around. She quickly hid back behind the wall before she was seen, breathing heavily. When she looked back in the room the eerie red lights in the chamber were dying down, and the screaming came to a stop.

The Doctor's eyes were closed, obviously unconscious, though he was still gasping. The people gathered checked their computers, took notes on their clipboards, and nodded in interest before going in to retrieve him. The same nurse that Rose had been yelling at yesterday went in, unstrapped him, and got him up on his feet. Someone else came on the Doctor's other side, supporting him, and they practically dragged him out of the chamber. Rose figured that they were taking him back to his room, so she quickly retreated into the room and sat down on the couch. She rested the side of her head on her hand and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

* * *

The Doctor limped back into his room, supported by one of the hospital staff. He got the Doctor back onto the bed and left the room without a word. The Doctor laid back against the pillows, aching and burning all over. He saw Rose asleep and smiled. The smile disappeared when she bolted upright and ran to his side, frantically looking over him.

"Rose... what the hell?" He asked, confused. She sighed, and sat down on the bed.

"Do you remember where you were just 5 minutes ago?" she asked, and he shook his head. "No, but I was asleep wasn't I?"

"No. Remember this morning when they brought you back from somewhere and you couldn't remember where you'd been?"

He nodded.

"Well they just took you away again, and I saw where they took you..." she looked away.

The Doctor's eyes stretched wide. "Rose, tell me what happened."

She didn't reply.

"Rose."

"They took you into this room... and strapped you to this chair...and.." she choked on the words.

"Rose, tell me."

"They began dosing you with large amounts of radiation. I...I think that you must have absorbed it all or something... because your extremely hot. Again."

The Doctor didn't make a joke of it this time. This explained why he felt hot inside and out. His body ached and he couldn't remember anything from the past few minutes. "What the hell..." he murmured.

Rose shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't get a chance to get a closer look, but I need to figure out their reason for this."

"Why don't we just focus on getting out?"

"Because I don't think that's going to happen. Not on our own at least... but I have a plan."

**A/N: I know that was extremely short but it just seemed like a good place to stop that chapter. I'll write more later today.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Guys I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. Once again, my laptop deleted my progress when I was working on it, and... well yeah. Kinda frustrating.**

**And also, remember that this is a fanfiction, so it doesn't follow the show's main story line all the time. **

The Doctor lay in his bed at the hospital, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for Rose to return and frankly quite bored. He put his hands under his head and watched the ceiling fan blades spin. He had just returned from another suspicious outing. Phase 3 or 4 he assumed, of this odd radiation dosage. He had no memory of the process, but knew that was where he had been due to his burning and aching body. After each of these events occurred his pain grew worse and worse. He knew all to well what would happen if they continued to do this to him.

He turned his head to see his pin-striped suit, his tie, and shirt draped across a chair. He smiled at the thought of getting back in his usual wear, back to his usual self. He hated being stuck here... so much. He stared out the window, longing to be traveling the stars with Rose again.

At that thought he wondered where she was. She had left about an hour ago after saying only 'I have a plan.', which worried him.

The Doctor struggled to sit up, and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He was tired of laying in bed all day, in nothing but his khaki pants. He stood up and grabbed onto the chair for balance, groaning a bit. He pulled on his white shirt, and tied his blue tie around his neck. He pulled on his suit and fluffed up his hair a bit. He looked in the mirror and smiled, feeling a bit like his old self. He winked and ran his fingers through his hair. "Dosed with deadly amounts of radiation, trapped by humans for over a week, and still lookin' good."

Just then he heard the door open and a female nurse stepped through, gasping a bit at what she saw.

"Umm... Mr. Smith? I'm going to have to ask you to return to your previous wear. It's necessary for the...er...therapy."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Therapy? That's a new one. Thought it was treatment for a gunshot that healed a week ago." he smirked.

"Sir... please get back into bed." she put her hand in her pocket and left it there, as if ready to take something out.

"Oh, very well." He was planning on getting back to bed any way. He was feeling better, but he still ached all over. He sat down and winked at the nurse. She looked away and started to head back out of the door, and the Doctor saw her hand come out of her pocket holding something... a key? His suspicions were confirmed when she shut the door and he heard a click. He looked through the window and raised his voice so she could hear him. "Locking me in, eh? I must say, I'm offended by your lack of trust." he fluttered his eyelashes with mock offensiveness.

She just walked away without a word. The Doctor sighed and flipped over and laid on his stomach. As he did he felt something hard poking his chest. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out what had caused it.

He smiled. "Silly humans."

* * *

"So are we ready?"

Rose stood on the top floor of the Torchwood Institute building, with Captain Jack Harkness.

When Rose had left the hospital, she didn't really have a plan. She had strolled through the park - the same on the Doctor had been shot at - and pondered. She didn't know how to get him out, but she had wanted to give him some kind of hope. She had walked for about half an hour or so before running into an old friend.

Jack.

After having a short reunion, she had quickly explained The Doctor's situation. Jack had told her about his current high-ranking position in Torchwood, knowing he could help in some way. Shortly after, he had taken her to the Torchwood tower, and they had worked out a plan.

"Ready." Rose responded to him.

With Jack's position with Torchwood, he had power.. and perhaps enough power to get their friend out of captivity. They walked briskly back to the hospital side by side.

Jack's long black trench coat flowed behind him as they walked. "How was he when you left earlier?" he asked.

"Sleepy, and in pain... I hope they've not taken him to that room again since I've been gone... Oh, Jack it was horrible." She flashed back to the horrible moment of seeing the Doctor in unintentional torture. Those screams... the way he had tried to break free... just made her cry on the inside.

Jack squeezed her arm in a comforting manner. "He'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

Rose willed that to be true. They kept talking until they arrived at the hospital, and walked through the automatic doors.

"First we need to check on 'im. I worry about leaving him alone... they only take him away when I'm not there." they took the lift up to the second floor, and walked down the hall.

* * *

The Doctor stared down at his sonic screw driver, and shook his head. "Stupid humans didn't even think to check my coat," he swung his legs back off the bed and stood up, wincing. He hobbled over to the door began to activate his device, when he heard footsteps. A man appeared on the other side of the window, and his eyes went wide with shock. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, looking at the Doctor's device.

"Mr. Smith..." The Doctor immediately recognized him as that same nurse. "What are you doing out of bed... and what is that thing?" he snatched it out of his hand. "And why the hell are you dressed?"

The Doctor didn't answer. "Oi! Give it here!" but the nurse pulled away.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I'm _bored_! That woman - not very nice by the way - locked me in here. I was just trying to get out and get some fresh air!" He did his best to play innocent, and not show the pain he was feeling. But he was struggling to stay on his feet, and he could tell the nurse was seeing right through his act.

"Come with me." he said. "Time for the final phase of your treatment."

The Doctor backed up and sat down on his bed. "That's it. I want to know what's been going on, and why you won't allow me to remember. Rose already told me what you do when you take me to do these 'treatments' and I want to know what the hell is up. Why are you dosing me with radiation? You know very well that much more is going to kill me - is that your plan?"

The nurse's expression stayed blank. "We're using you."

"Using me?"

"We're trying to find out how much radiation your body can handle. We need to know what is is about you that is keeping you alive, and how much more you can take. If we can find that out, it will help save thousands of lives. Help provide more radiation-proof suits, help find cures for radiation poisoning, and so much more. But we have to figure out how your body works first... what's keeping you alive, protecting you, and how much more you can survive."

The Doctor didn't like the sound of that. "So why are you telling me this now?"

"Because if today is a success, you won't even be around to tell a living soul."


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor struggled against the nurse's grasp as he pushed him along the hall. He was too weak to protest much, but drug his weight backwards as much as he could, but the nurse pushed on. The Doctor gave up, knowing he wasn't strong enough to get away. They came up to the room. Of course, the Doctor didn't recognize it, but he knew very well what it was for. A memory lingered in the back of his mind as he saw the glass chamber. With a jolt of alarm, thoughts and memories began flooding back through him.

_The fright._

_The pain._

_The suspense._

_The utter torture._

_It was all flooding back._

More hands grabbed him and he felt his suit being ripped off his body. Then his tie and his shirt. "Oi! I quite liked that suit!" but they didn't listen. They took off his socks as well, leaving him in nothing but his khaki slacks.

They half led, half dragged him into the chamber. He fought against it with everything in him, but he was just too weak. They sat him down in the chair, repeating the process that he suddenly remember from before. Before he knew it he was restrained to the chair, with wires sticking out from all over him. They shut the door, and he sat helplessly, bracing for impact and extreme pain. He didn't know what to do now. The radiation would soon inhabit his entire body. He realized that Rose was still out there, and was his only hope. If she didn't get here soon, he'd be dead in minutes.

* * *

Rose and Jack arrived in the Doctor's room to see that he was gone. They looked around just to be sure, but he wasn't there. Rose's words caught in her throat as she said, "They must have already taken him to the chamber.. we've gotta go..."

As she was walking out she realized she couldn't remember where the room was. They paced down the halls, opening random doors and peering in. Time was running out. There was no telling how long ago they had taken the Doctor.

Suddenly, she heard a scream.

She knew where the Doctor was.

Jack obviously had heard it too because he took the lead, running in the direction of the continued screams, his long black coat trailing behind him. The wails led them to a door. "You ready?" Jack looked at his friend.

Rose's mind buzzed. She dreaded what she might find when she got in there, but the screams didn't allow her mind to wander. "Ready."

Jack Harkness kicked the door open. "Everybody drop what your doing _right now._" He pulled out his ID. "Captain Jack Harkness with Torchwood. Shut down that machine right now."

They obeyed, looking baffled. Rose caught the Doctor's eye in the chamber. He was drenched in sweat, his eyes glazed with a searing pain, but still she saw a flicker of hope in his eyes as their gaze locked. She forced herself to look away, concentrating once again on Jack.

"What is the meaning of this?" A woman stepped forward. She wore scrubs that were covered with a lab coat. "Who let you in here?"

"Again, Torchwood. Now, I demmand for you to release him back to the care of his companion, or risk prosecution via Torchwood Industries. You are unauthorized for this type of study, and you _will _be prosecuted if he is not released immediately.

The audience looked at eachother, not knowing exactly what to think or say.

"Unlock that door. Now." Rose could have sworn Jack's voice dropped 3 octaves. Hesitantly a man unlocked the chamber door and Rose rushed inside without hesitation. A wave of something hit her as soon as she entered the chamber. She felt intense heat and dizziness, and realized they had not drained the chamber of the radiation still lingering. She coughed against it and made her way to the Doctor. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily, but Rose could tell he was conscious still. She quickly unstrapped him and removed the wires, and checked his vital signs.

"Jack, we've got to get him back to the TARDIS. Now." she yelled out desperately. She saw eyebrows raised among the audience as she said the foreign word, but ignored them. She sat the Doctor up and put his arm around her shoulder, trying to get him out. For a skinny man, he sure was heavy. She was grateful when Jack appeared on his other side to help her support him. The Doctor moaned a little in protest but that was it. Rose coughed again against the foreign air and was relieved when they got him out of the chamber. Ignoring everyone's angry remarks and confused protests, they got him out of the room, eventually out of the hospital, and headed back for the TARDIS.

* * *

The Doctor blinked against the bright white light that surrounded him as he awoke. At first, he thought he was back at the hospital. He burned all over and knew that he had once again returned from "treatment." But he then remembered the conversation with the nurse.

_If all goes as planned, you won't even be around to tell a living soul. _

The Doctor smirked. _I suppose all didn't go as planned then..._ then he suddenly dreaded the thought of regeneration. He ran his hands over his face and hair, and looked down at his hands. He seemed to still be himself, which was good.

Then he became aware of his surroundings.

He was in the TARDIS infirmary, with Rose, of course, asleep at his side. His mind whirred as he tried to remember the previous events. Last thing he remembered was being in that horrible chamber, with that horrible pain rippling through his body. Everything after that was just muddled voices and blurs. He tried to sit up, the result being a groan of pain. He laid back, hoping he didn't wake Rose. When he was sure he hadn't he took a deep breath, taking in everything that was happening.

He had an IV stuck in his arm, and a cold wet cloth on his forehead. It felt good, so he left it there, even though it didn't even begin to mask the pain he was feeling inside. He shifted his weight a bit, and the movement woke his companion. Her face lit up when she saw his opened eyes and she wrapped him in a hug.

"How come you say you never sleep, yet when you do your asleep forever."

"How long this time?"

"Two days. How d'ya feel?"

He rubbed his head. "How do I look?" he laughed.

Rose gave him a half smile and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, moving the sweaty strands of hair away from his face. The smile turned into a frown twisted with worry. "Your burning up... again." she sighed, then ran her fingers through his hair, feeling him tremble at her touch. "Cold?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "That radiation really messes with my internal system. I feel like I've been lit on fire practically - inside and out." he squeezed his eyes shut and rested his head in his hands. His voice was casual and matter-of-fact, but Rose could tell he was in excruciating pain.

"What can I do?" she asked desperately.

The Doctor shook his head again. "I truly do not know. I guess I'll just need to ride this out." he saw Rose's concerned expression, and smiled comfortingly. "It'll be ok."

She nodded, hoping he was right.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well here's the final chapter! I hope you guys like it :) Sorry it's kinda short. Please review and give me all your thoughts!.. and I apologize in advanced for your feels that will result in the ending :3**

Rose sat in the TARDIS kitchen with Captain Jack Harkness. They were both sipping on hot tea in silence. 2 days since the Doctor had been brought back home from the hospital, and his condition stayed the same. Yesterday they moved him from the infirmary to his bedroom, which Rose didn't even know existed until he told her. His fever remained and he slept most of the time. Rose was beginning to worry.

"I'm sure he'll get back to normal soon," Jack broke the silence.

Rose didn't know. She missed the old Doctor. The funny, sarcastic, cute, lovable, compassionate Doctor. In the state he was now, he just seemed so... different to her. She longed for that bright smile of his. To go on adventures being chased by aliens and wild creatures. To feel the rush of danger again. To hold his hand, running through the unknown. Rose looked at the floor, beginning to wonder if things would never be the same again.

"Rose?" Jack sounded worried. Rose looked up, and gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine. Just a bit anxious. You're right, I'm sure he'll be fine."

She didn't believe her own words.

Rose sipped at her tea some more, contemplating on whether or not to go check on her friend again.

"Rose!"

The Doctor's scream cut off her thoughts. Her eyes stretched wide and she and Jack stood up in terror, and ran through the corridor to the Doctor's bedroom.

He was sitting up in his bed, breathing hard with beads of sweat on his forehead. He looked terrified and hurt, and his hands were shaking. Rose ran to his side immediately. "Doctor... Doctor are you alright?"

He looked at her as if he hadn't noticed her there before now. He smiled.

"Haha!" he laughed a bit with his shaky breath, and wrapped Rose in a big hug. Rose was confused, but didn't pull back. She embraced his hug. "It was just a dream.." he muttered. "Just a dream..." Rose felt a tear fall onto her shoulder. She looked at Jack, who was standing at the doorway, and gave him a silent plea to give them a moment alone. The former Time Agent gave an understanding nod and stepped back.

Rose pulled back.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nightmare is all..." but the relieved expression remained. Rose grasped his hand and gave him a lopsided smile.

"You okay?" she asked, and he nodded, squeezing her hand hard. Rose was relieved to find his touch much cooler. "How do you feel?"

"Better.." he mumbled, then looked away. "Rose?" he muttered a bit awkwardly.

"Yes?" the concern returned. The Doctor looked her straight in the eye and she returned the gaze.

"I...Lvyutoo..." he mumbled, and looked down again.

"What?" Rose asked when she couldn't understand the words.

"I...Loveyoutoo..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Rose gasped on the inside at what his voice projected. _So he heard me after all.. _She thought, remembering what she had said to him his first day unconscious in the hospital. Her gaze softened, and she saw him look away at her silence.

The Doctor waited impatiently for a reply. Rose must have understood him the second time, but she said nothing. He suddenly wondered if he had made a mistake. What if he heard her wrong? Maybe it had been a dream... maybe the blood loss had made him hallucinate... had he just possibly have ruined their relationship?

He looked at her. Still just silence, but there was something else in her eyes... Disbelief? Surprise? Relief?

No. He decided. He wasn't going to give up now. He swung his legs off the bed so that he was sitting directly next to Rose. He grabbed her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye.

"Rose, you know I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time." His voice was shaky, and a baffled but loving expression spread across his companion's face. "It's hard for me to admit, because there are so many things that stand in the way. But I need you to know," his gaze deepened.

"Rose Tyler, I-"

He suddenly broke into a coughing fit. He let go of Rose's shoulder's gasping for air. The Doctor felt his body trembling, and a comforting touch on his bare back. He flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, as darkness consumed him.

***Whispers* Don't worry. I'm writing a sequel ;)**


End file.
